Solo Exhibition at The Fireplace Project, East Hampton

The Fireplace Project is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures from artist Kan Seidel (b. 1987). Opening on November 26, 2022, Kan Seidel: Brother Brother--as curated by Alexander DiJulio--will be the artist’s first solo exhibition and was produced during a residency in East Hampton.

Kan Seidel | Mortal Hole, 2022 | oil on canvas | 12h x 16w inches

New York-based painter Kan Seidel (b. 1987, Omaha, NE) moved to New York City in 2014, working as a writer until the recent death of a brother sparked an unexpected new body of work. The Fireplace Project will exhibit a new series of Seidel’s oil paintings and clay sculptures which decode this great loss through a playful deconstruction of the human figure and family dynamics with a humorous edge.

Seidel remained in Nebraska for his collegiate education at the University of Nebraska where he studied creative writing. Having recreationally painted for years previously, it wasn’t until the artist moved to New York City-- immersing himself in writing jobs and LGBTQ activism--that he found his voice as an artist. Queer themes and creative literary elements remain a constant focus for him.

Installation shot, The Fireplace Project

Throughout his writing and art practice, Seidel has always found fascination in the repressed urges, social conformity and politeness of the Midwestern character, and has often explored those themes through the metaphor of the family. Seidel’s show is primarily made up of oil paintings on canvas which position waggish, elongated characters inside familiar domestic scenes of suburbia. Additionally, the artist’s characters enter the third dimension here in a family unit of clay sculptures, displayed tabletop. This series was developed while having been in residence in East Hampton for a large part of 2022. Seidel has recently been exhibited in several group shows in New York City, Los Angeles, CA, and East Hampton, NY. Brother Brother is Seidel’s first solo show. The exhibition will be open Saturday and Sunday 12 to 6pm, and can be viewed by appointment as well. Please text 610-757-8866 to schedule.